NEW ONLINE SPAWN STORE DESIGN COMPLETEUpdated Layout Faster and More Flexible for the FutureFriday, March 21, 2003

As many of you know, the Spawn Store at spawn.com - the online home of the McFarlane Toys Collector's Club - was down for a server upgrade and redesign. While we have neither the space nor the technical knowledge to accurately spell out exactly what was done in those shadowy server rooms, here's the summary: good stuff.

To elaborate, the backend server system that operates the entire ecommerce program at spawn.com was upgraded to be faster and more efficient. The proprietary software used to run the system was also upgraded to the most recent version. In short, the Spawn Store should operate at a much faster speed than before with fewer bottlenecks.

The most obvious change is the new user interface, which more closely matches the rest of the spawn.com design. The Store has an upgraded shopping cart and the items offered are divided into new categories, which will make the entire process easier to manage and navigate as more and more items become available for direct sale. There's also a coming-soon teaser area which highlights an upcoming Club exclusive. The design is such that we can now offer additional photography of figures for sale, so that buyers get a more detailed view before purchasing.

As 2003 progresses, you'll see a substantial increase in the number of items offered for sale direct to Club members. In the meantime, the next thing on the agenda is a resupply of the NBA Backboard, which will be available the week of March 24, 2003, and the clear Stealth Predator action figure coming late in April.

To check out the new Store, click here or to join the online McFarlane Toys Collector's Club for free, click here.